Dash glad to be back home after eventful past week

If there ever was a perfect time for a normal routine and a home game, it’s this week for the Dash.

The Dash sprinted out of the gate, scoring three goals in winning their regularseason opener against Chicago only to concede three goals in the second half of last week’s loss at Orlando.

The Dash (1-1) felt a bit unlucky because of what happened leading up to and during the early moments of Saturday’s game against the Pride. The torrential rain and subsequent flooding in the Houston area forced an uncomfortable week of delayed and shortened training sessions.

Routines interrupted

With only one high quality practice session during the week, coach Randy Waldrum said he had a feeling his players might not be on top of their game.

“We couldn’t get a flow during the week,” Waldrum said. “Then when we got there, right off the bat Carli (Lloyd) getting injured rattled us a little.”

Lloyd injured her right knee in the first five minutes and played hobbled for much of the first 15 minutes. Not long after Lloyd was injured, forward Rachel Daly went down for a moment. The Dash essentially played much of the first 15 minutes down a player, which allowed Orlando to gain the upper hand and cause the Dash to go on the defensive.

The Dash will be without Lloyd for three to six weeks as she recovers from a Grade 1 sprain of her medial collateral ligament but otherwise are feeling better heading into Friday night’s game against Sky Blue FC at BBVA Compass Stadium.

When the season began, it appeared that this week’s game would be one of the Dash’s best opportunities to get a victory, but that does not look to be the case anymore.

Sky Blue FC (1-1) finished eighth out of nine teams last season and had a tumultuous offseason in which several key players retired or left the team and their coach of first three years left to join the Washington Spirit.

Time to bounce back

Despite the tumult, the New Jersey club shocked the league in the season opener by becoming the first team to defeat Seattle, the reigning two-time National Women’s Soccer League champion, at home in two-plus seasons.

That came one day after the Dash opened the season with a victory over Chicago, which finished second last year.

“What we’ve seen in these first two weeks is that anybody is good enough to beat everybody,” Waldrum said. “The parity is a lot closer than everybody anticipated it to be.”

So while the Dash will be on high alert Friday, they also will be looking to bounce back from a poor performance against the Pride.

“With different teams come different challenges,” rookie forward Janine Beckie said. “We have to have discipline and roll with the punches. There are going to be injuries. There is going to be bad weather. It’s still early. We’re positive through the adversity. A different challenge comes on Friday.”

Dash update

Saturday: Pride 3, Dash 1. Record: 1-1-0. Today: Sky Blue FC at BBVA Compass Stadium, 7:30 p.m.